Reaction of 2,4-Dinitrochlorobenzene with Aromatic Amines in Toluene: Effect of Nucleophile Structure

The kinetics of the reaction of 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNClB) with aniline and substituted anilines such as p-anisidine, p-toluidine and N-methylaniline have been studied in toluene. Except for N-methylaniline the reactions have shown a third order in amine rate dependence which is consistent with aggregates of the amine acting as the nucleophile. On the other hand, the reaction of DNClB with N-methylaniline under the same conditions shows a linear dependence of the second order rate coefficient, kA, vs [amine], which is consistent with the previous mechanism.